New In The Shop: Pre-Made Branding Kits!

Guuuuys! I’m so stinking excited to let you in on some things that are happening around here!

Before I dive into that though, let me tell you why I'm so excited, lest you think I'm some sort of loon who runs around using the word lest. And the word loon. I mean, I do obviously, but...

So, when I started this business many moons ago I had the pleasure of working with some seriously kick ass entrepreneurs who were just starting out at the time. We were all in the same position, getting our businesses off the ground, working together to push each other to the top. I would barter services or charge next to nothing if I knew the person couldn’t afford to pay my prices. I didn’t make much money, but I built my portfolio and a ton of experience along the way, and I made some amazing lady-boss friends who I still love to this day.

But somewhere down the road life changed. I was staying busy with projects but beginning to realize that the amount of time I was trading just to pay my bills was way out of balance. I don’t subscribe to the theory that if you aren’t hustling at 3am you’re a bad entrepreneur. I’m not interested in living to work. I’m a freelancer because I want to enjoy what I do while also having the freedom to enjoy other parts of my life. But I was burning out working crazy hours and there were still months I had no idea how I was going to pay my rent. (It was always paid, but sometimes those last few days were nail biters!)

It took me far too long, but I finally realized the way I was working wasn’t… working. It wasn't sustainable, especially if I want to buy a house and, well, have a life. I raised my prices slowly over time. I switched from a platform I no longer enjoyed to one I was passionate about. I started marketing to more established businesses. And it worked, I was able to charge my worth and take on less projects. I started to love my work again. All was well.

Except there was something missing. I’m still incredibly passionate about helping entrepreneurs get started, but the changes I've made to make the business worth it for me have made most of my services out of reach for someone just starting their business. And that breaks my little empathic entrepreneurial heart (say that three times fast). I would feel terrible when a potential client reached out and I wasn’t able to help them. I've struggled with this internally for a while… debating with myself about lowering prices or offering more packages. But every path led back to a place where I knew I would no longer enjoy the work.

Meanwhile, I had started working on my first course, a DIY Squarespace guide that will be out in April, and was contemplating offering pre-made graphics as a bonus with that, when suddenly it hit me.

When I design a custom logo I will create anywhere from 3-12 concepts. Some will be scrapped before the client ever sees them. Most will be eliminated during the branding process. Only one will be chosen in the end, but a lot of times it's a tough choice. The rest then sit in files, usually to never be seen again. Out of those I’m usually sad that one or two of them were passed over because I've fallen in love with them.

So basically, I have a plethora of unused logos and brand elements that I seriously dig, just sitting in files all over my computer wasting away. So why couldn’t I offer pre-made logos for way less than a custom design? You still get a quality product, I’m able to help way more people at different stages of business, and it ties in perfectly with the courses I’m working on putting out. It's a win-win-win, which we all know is the best kind.

So what does this mean for Lena Elizer Designs? For the service side of the business, nothing. I currently offer three branding and Squarespace design packages and I intend to keep it that way. What it does mean is there will be a second “branch” of the business selling pre-made branding kits, potentially some other graphic sets, and in the very near future several courses to help you DIY your way to business success.

It also means that I’m so stinking excited to tell you that the first wave of pre-made branding kits are up on the new shop page right freaking now!

So, I know I’ve been blathering on about business and target audiences, and you probably have a few questions about what the hell any of this actually means. Let me ‘splain!

First, what even are pre-made branding kits?

Good question! What you’ll get when you buy a kit is:

A logo, alternate logo, watermark, and logo submark (the graphic element of the logo)

A color palette, including hex codes

Recommendations for fonts that will go great with your new logo

Website buttons in the same color palette (Perfect for blog sidebars)

Social media icons in the same colors

2-3 graphic elements that can be used on your website, business cards, or wherever

All of the above in PNG format with a transparent background, as well as JPG and PDF format. You’ll be able to use them for web and print easily.

A brand board with all the graphic bits and pieces of the brand displayed

How do you know my business name? Are you a witch? Do I have to change the name of my business?

No, you don't have to change your business name to match the silly names I’ve used on the templates. Yes, I might be a witch, but that's unrelated to this conversation.

Actually when you click Purchase to buy a pre-made branding kit you’ll be asked to fill out a customization form before adding it to your cart. You’ll enter your business name (triple check this please!), potentially a tagline or short secondary description, and you’ll tell me what your buttons should say. If you’re feeling froggy you can even choose to change the color palette. I've created nine awesome palettes to choose from for no extra charge, or for a few more dollars you can use your own brand colors - there's a place to enter those on the customization form as well.

After you place your order I’ll get to work customizing your kit. You can expect to get it via email within 1-2 business days, unless it’s a weekend because sometimes I do go outside.

It's that simple!

How can I use this kit?

Just like you would a custom brand identity! You can use the elements on your business card, marketing, website, everywhere your logo goes. The matching website buttons are great for a blog sidebar, use them to list your categories or link to other parts of your site. It’s like a mini brand identity in a box.

What if I need more customization?

I will customize the text elements of the branding kit before sending it to you, and if you’d like to customize the color there’s an option for that too. If there's something else you'd like to customize get in touch with me and I'll see what I can do.

If you’re ready for a completely custom brand identity I offer full branding packages where we dig deep and build a brand around your needs, get in touch here!

That’s it! There are several kits already available in the shop and I’ll be adding many more over time, as well as some other elements to help you look fabulous as you build your biz.

Go check out the shop, and let me know below if you have questions I didn’t answer!